Steve Gonyea’s barn is not a normal barn.

“It was gonna be a little shed. It was gonna be like a little 10x12 shed. Look how big it got. We just kept adding things,” he said.

Inside, there is a lot to do and check out — old and new. It’s a fun space for people with developmental disabilities.

“Each one of these Autistic kids has a different niche that they like to do and we can hit a lot of those niches," Gonyea said. "It’s hard for a kid who’s never touched a guitar who’s Autistic to go to the mall and touch one because they’re not gonna let them. We’re gonna let them."

Gonyea’s passion for helping kids with developmental disabilities started with his son. His son, Dustin, has autism.

“There was nothing out there,” Gonyea said. “He loves sports. There was nowhere for him to go.”

Gonyea said he and his wife have fostered more than 160 kids, many with developmental disabilities. So they know firsthand how needed something like their barn is.

“They can just come over and hang out. They don’t have to worry about maybe the stigmas of ‘gee, I have autism. I have a developmental disability. Where am I gonna go?' It’s compounded when you have a pandemic. There’s even less places to go,” Gonyea said.

Gonyea said these activities aren’t just fun for the kids, they’re therapeutic.

“The record player is so fascinating with a lot of the kids that are Autistic. We have a 10 and 12-year-old in the house right now who just love this. And he’ll sit there and stare at it going around and around and around. And it’s pretty cool because he might have had a behavior 10 minutes before that in the house,” Gonyea said.

Gonyea welcomes anyone who has a child with a developmental disability to reach out about bringing them over and checking out the barn. He’s also hoping a group will expand on his idea, possibly building a recreation center in Utica.

“They’re all Autistic kids trying to be a part of something,” said Gonyea.

Gonyea said he wants to donate a lot of the things in his barn if a rec center is built.